(This is GVPT 201: Scope and Methods for Political Science)
Instructor: Neil Lund
Office: 1140C Tydings Hall (in the suite behind the glass doors)
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 11:15 AM to 1:30 PM or by appointment
This is what you’re doing right now. Expect something very much like this.
Choices
Attend in person (this is the only format where you can ask questions!)
Watch Zoom (check the Zoom tab on ELMS)
Watch recordings on ELMS page.
Due dates listed on ELMS are hard deadlines.
Every Friday, led by your TA
Join in person or on Zoom.
Attendance is mandatory and participation is 10% of your grade
This is your best chance to ask homework questions, get feedback, and clarify concepts, so come prepared. (Read workbook and look at homework beforehand)
There’s additional materials on the syllabus.
Going forward I will generally try to link study materials on the modules tab in ELMS.
Normative Research
“Ought” questions
Empirical Research
“Is/Are” questions
Are democracies less likely to go to war compared to autocracies?
Do protests prompt political change?
When are political parties most likely to be unified around a shared platform or ideology?
This course will focus primarily on the empirical and quantitative aspects of research.
But ideally, these goals should inform each other.
Identify a research question
Define key concepts
Formulate a testable hypothesis
Collect data, conduct analysis, and assess results
Collectively: accumulate knowledge about the world
Numbers are for nerds, but you need some stats and basic programming skills to get through this course, this program, and probably your career and for general life stuff.
Weeks 1 through 3: How to measure stuff and why it matters
Weeks 4 through 8: Description, comparison, and hypotheses
Weeks 9 through 10: Inference and statistical tests
Weeks 11 through 14: Correlation and regression analysis
Workbook HW (25%): R coding, usually due on Thursdays at midnight
Survey analysis (35%): design, distribute, and analyze a (non-representative) public opinion survey.
Exams (25%): open-notes/open book exams administered through ELMS.
Section participation (10%): Based on engagement, not participation alone.
Lab (5%): participate in 3 studies conducted by GVPT faculty and students.
If you want to purchase the textbook and workbook from another source, opt out of the First Day program by February 11! You will be billed by February 17th.
Install R and R-Studio by Friday (there’s instructions in the intro chapter of the workbook)
For next class:
How do we get from contested concepts like “democracy” or “public opinion” or “ideology” to something that can fit in a spreadsheet? What are the tradeoffs required to make this work?